Automatic rope-spear.



PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

M. J. RIGGS.

AUTOMATIC ROPE SPEAK.

APPLUJATION FILED AUG. 9, 1904.

u v a I 'I V j fardhal- J H0 MODEL.

llnrrnn fi'rarns Patented November 29, 1904,

MARSHALL J. RIGGS, OF MARIETTA, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC ROPE-SPEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,425, dated November29, 1904;.

Application filed August 9, 19043 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARSHALL J. RIGGS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marietta, in the county of Washington and State of Ohio,have invented a new and useful Automatic Rope-Spear, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to an automatic ropespear for removing ropes fromoil-wells.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofdevices for extracting lost ropes from oil-wells and to provide asimple, inexpensive, and efiicient device of great strength anddurability adapted to be readily forced through a rope without packingthe same against the bottom of a well and capable when drawn upward ofsecurely gripping a rope, whereby the same is conveniently removedfrom awell.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter capable of operating effectively in both large and smallwell-casings and provided with rope-engaging means arranged to foldsubstantially within the device when the latter moves downward andcapable 'of expanding and engaging a rope automatically when it is drawnupward.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of constructionwithin the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automatic rope-spearconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an edge View ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4 is atransverse sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of one of the pivotally-mounted rope-engaging prongs orteeth.

Like numerals of reference designate correeapable of firmly gripping arope.

Serial No. 220,134. (No model.)

spending parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 1 designate similar sections of the body of the tool fitted togetherand tapered at the lower end to form a point 2. The sections or membersof the body are welded together at the point 2, and at the upper end 3they are welded to a shank 4, which is forged and turned and which isprovided with a polygonal wrench-receiving portion 5 and a threaded end6 for connection with the operating mechanism. The sections of the bodyare provided at their inner abutting faces with oppositely-disposedrecesses 7, forming sockets for the reception of prongs or teeth 8,which extend upward at an inclination, being slightly curved outward andtapered to a point, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings.The. prongs or teeth, which have convexlycurved inner longitudinal facesand concavelycurved outer longitudinal faces, have their points at theirupper ends and are provided at their lower ends with eyes 9, throughwhich pass pivots 10, which consist of rivets or other suitablefastening devices. The prongs or teeth are provided at their outer sidesadjacent to the eyes with shoulders 11, which engage shoulders 12 of thesections of the body portion, whereby the outward movement of the prongsor teeth is limited. The sections or members are also connected betweenthe prongs or spurs by rivets 13, whereby the sections or members arefirmly held together between the points of welding.

When the automatically operable ropespear is lowered into an oil orother well for extracting a lost rope, it will readily pass through therope without packing the same against the bottom of the well, as thelower end or point of the body is tapered and the prongs are foldablewithin the body. The prongs or teeth slightly project when folded, sothat they will catch into the coils of the rope and be drawn outward.When thrown outward, as illustrated in Fig. 1, they are arranged at anangle and form tapering recesses or spaces between them and the body andare Also as the prongs or teeth are adapted to fold substantially withinthe body the device is capable of operating as efiectively in smallwellcasings as in large ones, as the teeth or prongs are adapted toproject to a greater or less extent. This is an advantage, for thereason that where fixed rope-engaging devices are employed it is oftenimpossible to oper-' ate them within small well-casings. The side facesof the sections are flat, and the longitudinal corners or edges arepreferably cut off or beveled, as illustrated in Fig. 4:.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the class described, comprising a body composed of twosimilar sections having corresponding recesses in their abutting facesand secured together at their lower ends, a shank secured to the upperends of the sections, and movable rope-engaging devices mounted in thesaid recesses.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a body composed ofsections or members having inner flat faces fitted together, saidsections being welded together at their lower ends, a shank welded tothe upper ends of the sections or members, and rope-engaging devicesmounted between the sections or members.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a body provided at thelower end with a point and composed of sections or members having innerflat faces fitted together and provided at intervals with recesses, saidsections or members being welded together at their lower ends, a shankwelded to the upper ends of the sections or members, rope-engagingdevices arranged in the recesses of the sections or members, andfastening devices connecting the sections or members at points betweenthe rope-engaging devices.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a body tapered at thelower end and having independent openings or recesses, andpivotally-mounted prongs or teeth foldable within the recesses to permitthe body to pass through the coils of a rope without packing the same.

5. A device of the class described, com priswhereby they are adapted toclamp a rope between them and the body.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a body provided with anopening or recess and having a shoulder at the lower end thereof, and aprong or tooth pivotally mounted in the opening or recess and arrangedat an inclination and provided with a shoulder arranged to engage thatof the body.

7 A device of the class described, comprising a body, and arope-engaging prong or tooth pivoted at one end to the body and having alimited inward and outward movement arranged at an inclination, saidprong or tooth being tapered and slightly curved and presenting an innercon vex face and an outer concave face.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a body, apivotally-mounted rope-engaging prong 01' tooth arranged at aninclination, said prong or tooth being tapered and slightly curved andpresenting an inner convex face and an outer concave face, and means forlimiting both the inward and outward movement of the prong or tooth forcausing the points to project slightly when the same is swung inward.

9. In a device of the class described, a body having projecting fromopposite sides a plurality of rope-engaging prongs or teeth, each prongor tooth being curved and tapered to a point at its free end and mountedon independent fixed pivots carried by the body, the prongs or teethbeing movable independently of one another.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARSHALL J. RIGGS. l/Vitnesses:

A. B. HOYT, DANIEL BALL.

